HomeMy WebLinkAbout14 Attachment 1iFoster | Presentation Title 1
TPUD Broadband Committee Recommendations
March 2, 2022
Truckee Community Broadband
Maximize Impact for All Truckee
iFoster | Presentation Title 2
TDPUD Broadband Committee
Meeting our Community Priorities
•Our Truckee Community wants the TDPUD to prioritize
broadband
•This Committee has come together to inform the Board
on the NEED, OPTIONS, and RECOMMENDATIONS for
ensuring Broadband priorities are met
•Goals of Broadband Committee:
1.Identify the level of broadband the community requires
2.Identify key stakeholders, potential partners, and local
resources
3.Develop a scope of work for a feasibility study
4.Identify options for a potential organizational structure
5.Identify funding opportunities
Sources: TDPUD Broadband Committee Kick Off Meeting, September 23, 2021
iFoster | Presentation Title 3
Act Now to Maximize Benefit for
ALL Truckee
Committee Recommendations
The question isn’t whether to act, but rather how to do so in the most
equitable, beneficial way.
Broadband is a utility necessary for the well-being, economic growth, and
safety of ALL Truckee.
Truckee PUD is uniquely positioned to develop a town-wide infrastructure
because of its existing assets (i.e. poles, conduits, customer base).
iFoster | Presentation Title 4
TRUCKEE COMMUNITY NEED
iFoster | Presentation Title 5Sources: FCC Household Broadband Minimum Standards and Business Minimum Standards, 2015; Residential Broadband Forecasts, Technology Futures Inc, 2002
What is Community Broadband?
State of Truckee Broadband Access
•Broadband in Truckee is a community issue involving the needs of local residents, second homeowners
and tourists, local businesses, our town institutions and infrastructure
•According to the FCC, resident requirements for household with 2 more devices using more than one
high demand application (i.e. streaming, video conferencing, gaming, telecommuting) is 25/3 Mbps
**Note- This is an old standard from 2015, Congress is working on a min 100/25Mbps minimum requirement
•For businesses, generally it is 10-15 Mbps per employee or user (i.e. coffee shop customers on WiFi) is
the minimum required equating to 1 Gbps symmetric, but usually 5-10 Gbps are necessary
•As distance learning, video streaming, video conferencing and telecommuting increase, household needs
will require 1 Gbps up/down speeds
•Within 5-10 years, many broadband planners anticipate that 10 Gbps up/down will be the required norm
for all (households and businesses)
iFoster | Presentation Title 6
•In residential neighborhoods of Truckee, public
fixed test results show service providers are
barely delivering minimum speeds
•This is without strains to the system
(i.e. holidays, pandemic with distance learning
and increased telecommuting)
•Reality of day-to-day connectivity is far worse
Barely Delivering
State of Truckee Broadband Access
Sources: California Interactive Broadband Map, https://www.broadbandmap.ca.gov/, 2021
iFoster | Presentation Title 7
Truckee Broadband Reality Check
Nov 22, 2021
Sources: Postings on Truckee Tahoe People Facebook Group
iFoster | Presentation Title 8
Community Broadband
What is Broadband for All?
Truckee
Residents
Tourists
Local
Business
Community
Anchor
Institutions
Town
Safety
Smart Grid
ISPs
iFoster | Presentation Title 9
Residents: Reliable, Affordable
Truckee Community Demand
•16,474 residents as of 2019
•23% earn less than $50,000 per year
•Suddenlink Internet starts at $89.99 monthly plus taxes/fees
•Current availability is below minimum standards, yet demand
is ever increasing as households multiply and individual
household broadband demands increase
•Distance learning
•Home office / telework
•Communications (cellular offloading to WiFi)
•Entertainment (streaming media)
•Home security
•Smart home
Case example Over 4,000 Truckee K-12 students
have had to go to distance learning during the
pandemic and weather events. Many use cellular
networks via smartphones and hotspots to get
online. This was not always because they lacked
Internet at home, but also because their home
Internet was insufficient.
Sources: Data USA 2019, Housing hurdles: Advocates call for those with 2nd homes to help ‘land locals’, Rebecca O’Neil, the Union, Oct 18, 2021, US Census Bureau, July 1
2020 estimates, Truckee Tahoe School District, 2021; Suddenlink pricing packages for 100Mbps (in 1Gbps markets) and 50Mbps (in 450Mbps markets)
iFoster | Presentation Title 10
Tourists: Flex Up to Meet Peaks
Truckee Community Demand
•225,000 tourists visit Truckee annually spending ~$150
Million, supporting ~1,500 jobs and generating ~$5.6
Million in local taxes
•Tourists and second-home owners tend to be more
affluent and come with their own suite of WiFi-enabled
equipment and toys
•Current availability drops when tourists and second-home
owners flock in, but they expect service equivalency to
what they have at their urban and suburban homes
•Communications (cellular offloading to WiFi)
•Entertainment (streaming media)
•Distance learning
•Remote work/telework
•Home security
•Smart home
Case example On a holiday weekend, the
population of Truckee exponentially increases the
number of people online, all demanding above
what is currently being delivered in residential
neighborhoods.
Sources: Dean Runyan Associates study, 2017
iFoster | Presentation Title 11
Businesses: Core to their Existence
Truckee Community Demand
•1,056 businesses in Truckee employing thousands of
residents, and providing $4.9 Million in local sales tax
revenue
•Ever increasing dependence on the Internet, cloud
services, and constant monitoring
•Point of Sale (POS) systems
•Reservation systems
•Banking and transaction management
•Inventory management
•Communications (cellular WiFi offloading)
•Communications (Zoom, MS Teams, etc)
•Community WiFi Hub
•Security
•eCommerce
•Cloud storage
Case example On any given business day, Wild Cherries
needs the Internet for POS, inventory management,
scheduling employees, banking and transaction
management, communications, and as a community WiFi
hub for the customers
Sources: Truckee Chamber of Commerce, truckee.com
iFoster | Presentation Title 12
Community Anchors: Increasing Need
Truckee Community Demand
•Schools, libraries, healthcare providers, community
colleges and vocational centers, public media, public
housing, and community non-profits
•Ever increasing dependence on the Internet, cloud
services, and live (real-time) for critical community needs
of health, education, and communications
•Telehealth
•Live diagnostics and surgeries
•Distance learning hubs
•Communications (cellular WiFi offloading)
•Communications (Zoom, MS Teams, etc)
•Community WiFi hubs
•Cloud services and storage
•Security
Case example Tahoe Forest Hospital touts that
telemedicine offers state-of-the-art cancer care to rural
areas (Nov 2017 Chemotherapy Foundation
Symposium in New York). However, while the hospital
has dedicated fiber, their patients have “five days of no
Internet”
iFoster | Presentation Title 13
Safety: Wildfires & Life Emergencies
Truckee Community Demand
•In 2021 the Caldor Fire destroyed 782 homes, 18
businesses in and around the Tahoe Basin
•The cost of fighting the Caldor Fire is $269.5 Million,
not counting property damage
•With ever increasing wildfire risks, environmental events
(i.e. snowstorms, earthquakes, floods) effective real-time
monitoring and communications is necessary to save
lives and properties in the Tahoe Basin
•Intelligent connected technologies (i.e. thermal and
chemical sensors)
•Drone patrols
•Artificial intelligence
•Emergency communications
•Emergency broadcasts (i.e. reverse 911, Nixle alerts)
Case example In 2021, California experienced 8,619
wildfires burning 2,569,009 acres which is almost triple
the number of fires and more than 20 times the
acreage of the five-year average
Sources: Caldor Fire Archives, Wild Fire Today, 2021, Wikipedia
iFoster | Presentation Title 14
Utilities: Power Reliability Mgmt.
Truckee Community Demand
•Smart Grid technology can help better manage our peaks
of visitors and usage driving our power loads
•Better power delivery and management is possible once
reliable Internet links every utility customer for two-way
communications
•Ever increasing intermittent, high demand load
management will be needed (i.e. smart car charging,
visitor peaks)
•Minimize brown-out and black-outs through automatic
power reductions – beyond one-way smart meters
•Requires symmetrical fiber optic connections
Case example In addition to utilizing the network to
deliver the world’s fastest internet and other fiber optic
services, Chattanooga’s fiber to the home network
also serves as the communications backbone for a
smart grid that has delivered almost $2.7 Billion of
value in a decade including preventing 44,000
customers from experiencing power outages for hours
or days during tornadoes and storms.
iFoster | Presentation Title 15
ISPs: Shared Fiber Backbone
Truckee Community Demand
•Each ISP (cable, fiber, DSL, cellular) is operating
completely independently which makes Truckee an
expensive market to serve
•Every private provider has a huge infrastructure expense
which makes it harder for them to expand, more
expensive for them to upgrades
•With monopolies in place, Truckee customers suffer since
there is no incentive to improve
•If we unify the backbone fiber (the universal piece) and
take burden off of ISPs, it will allow for increased
competition and more consumer choice
•Truckee PUD has existing assets to make this happen
Case example SiFi Networks builds and operates
open access fiber networks delivering 10 gig enabled
networks to homes and businesses and smart grid
services with a focus on closing the digital divide and
fair access to everyone.
iFoster | Presentation Title 16
Truckee Community Broadband
Imagine Access for ALL Truckee
Residents
Tourists
Local
Business
Community
Anchor
Institutions
Town
Safety
Smart Grid
•ISPs
•Reliable
•Affordable
•1Gig symmetrical &
scalable (future proof)
•Always On
•Fast
•Core to their success
•Flex to peak demand
•Similar experience to
what they get at home
in urban / suburban
•Rural but connected
to cutting edge
medicine, education,
supports
•Effective power mgmt
•Reduce black outs
•Equity in access
•Early, safe warning systems
•Effective communications
•Emergency broadcasting
•Shared backbone
•Decreased ISP cost
•Increased consumer
choice
iFoster | Presentation Title 17
BUSINESS MODEL OPTIONS
iFoster | Presentation Title 18
Potential Business Models
Broadband Business Benchmarks
TDPUD Ownership Model
TDPUD builds and maintains fiber optic network, uses it for Smart Grid technology, and (as a separate entity)
offers internet access services directly to customers. Leases fiber access for Smart City technologies to
Nevada/Placer Counties and Town of Truckee.
TDPUD Open Access Model
TDPUD builds and maintains fiber optic network, uses it for Smart Grid technology, and brings on multiple ISPs
to offer internet access services. Leases fiber access for Smart City technologies to Nevada/Placer Counties
and Town of Truckee.
Private/Public Partnership Model
TDPUD jointly builds and maintains fiber optic network with an ISP. TDPUD uses it for Smart Grid technology.
ISP offers internet access services directly to customers. One or both entities lease fiber access for Smart City
technologies to Nevada/Placer Counties and Town of Truckee.
ISP Ownership Model
ISP builds and maintains fiber optic network and offers internet services directly to customers – retail or open
access wholesale. Leases fiber access to TDPUD for Smart Grid Technology. Leases fiber access for Smart
City technologies to Nevada/Placer Counties and Town of Truckee.
iFoster | Presentation Title 19Sources: City of Sandy Oregon, EPB Chattanooga, Jefferson PUD, Ammon Fiber, SiFi network, Plumas Sierra Telecommunications
Potential Business Models
Broadband Business Benchmarks
Model Type Overview Example Build-Out
Funding
Time to Build
Ownership
Model
Community owned. PUD identified
need and utilized govt grants to
fund infrastructure build outs
Sandy, OR
Chattanooga, TN
Federal funding
for smart grid
build outs
2-3 years (with expectation of
using existing poles)
Open Access
Partnership
Currently offered to select
businesses. Partnered with a few
different ISPs. Developed through
2 consultation rounds
Jefferson, WA
Ammon, ID
Federal funding
for open access
infrastructure.
Phased: low-income
neighborhoods w high needs
first. Expansion based on
funding availability.
Public/Private Partnership with private entity
which owns total process but
could be offered to PUD clients
Yuba City SiFi
Network
Privately held
funding with
corporate entity
2-3 years (with expectation of
using existing poles)
Co-op / ISP Co-owned by service users and
ISP
Plumas Sierra
Telecommunicati
ons
Grant funding 2-3 years (with expectation of
using existing poles)
iFoster | Presentation Title 20
Ownership Model
Broadband Business Models
SANDY, OR
•Network started in 2002, upgraded to fiber in 2014
•Fiber optic network to home infrastructure allows for
quick response
•Infrastructure designed with fail-safe measures in
place including redundant fiber paths out of Sandy to
provide an incredibly reliable connection
•Able to meet the 2020 quick shift to online work and
learning
•Continual revision of continuity plans for how Sandy
responds to events and disasters in order to prevent or
minimize damage to service and network
CHATTANOOGA, TN
•Launched in 2009 and leaped to national attention in
2010 when Chattanooga became “The Gig City” offering
1Gig residential internet speeds, the fastest residential
speeds in the country
•In 2015, first in the world to offer 10Gig to every home
and business in community
•One of the nation’s smartest smart grids. Has delivered
almost $2.7 Billion of value in a decade including
preventing 44,000 customers from experiencing power
outages for hours or days during tornadoes and storms.
•Awarded $111 Million in federal stimulus from DOE for
expediting build and implementation of smart grid
Sources: City of Sandy Oregon, EPB Chattanooga
iFoster | Presentation Title 21
Open Access Model
Broadband Business Models
JEFFERSON, WA
•Fiber network built 2013. PUD currently has ~50
miles of fiber across the county.
•Most of the fiber serves internal PUD needs,
connecting facilities and monitoring equipment
•Because PUDs are limited to providing wholesale
and not direct access to its network, few businesses
and resident have access.
•Very phased approach: started with low income and
went after expansion opportunities based on grant
funding
•Partnered with ISPs to provide access
AMMON, ID
•PUD built network and all ISP providers pay a certain
amount per month to cover backhaul costs
•EntryPoint Networks is the company that consulted with
Ammon PUD and is currently working with Chico
•Third party ISPs
Sources: Jefferson PUD, Ammon Fiber
iFoster | Presentation Title 22
Public / Private Model
Broadband Business Models
Yuba City, CA
•SiFi Network partnership with city “fibercity network”
•SiFi Network projects focus on closing the digital
divide and providing access to all residents and
businesses
•SiFi Network funds and constructs network to meet
current and future needs
•10Gig enabled. Future proof bandwidth and
connectivity
•Privately owned open access network
Sources: SiFi Network – Yuba City
iFoster | Presentation Title 23
Coop / ISP Model
Broadband Business Models
Plumas Sierra Telecommunications
•Started ~10 years ago with wireless internet service
•Electrical coop where service users own the network
•NOTE: Broadband network is a separate entity for
the rest of Plumas Sierra telecom business
•Fiber funding through federal infrastructure grants
•Currently hold contract for enterprise connectivity
within existing infrastructure
•NO home connection currently and none planned
Sources: Plumas Sierra Telecom
iFoster | Presentation Title 24
Case Example Findings
Broadband Business Models
•There is a significant and growing need for broadband
access and PUDs nationwide are responding by providing
broadband solutions
•Every community is different and has deployed solutions
based on their community make-up, existing infrastructure,
ISPs, and available funding
•Priority for other PUDs has been and continues to be
focused on low income resident needs. PUDs provide
subsidized access through digital divide funding
•Every PUD case example started by identifying the
community need for broadband as a utility
iFoster | Presentation Title 25
EXISTING ASSETS ASSESSMENT
iFoster | Presentation Title 26
TDPUD 3 Types of Infrastructure
Existing Assets
•Long range regional fibers: that span from Sacramento
to Reno which permit POP (points-of-presence)
interconnectivity to interconnect with telco grids and ISPs
•Medium range fiber elements: 58.5 miles of existing
fiber currently used to connect TDPUD’s facilities in and
around Truckee and the north lake region with 56
additional miles of fiber planned over the next 5 years
•Datacenter rack equipment and power backup
systems: suitable for server hosting.
•Consider opportunities to partner with existing carriers
and service providers (i.e. asset purchase, leasing)
iFoster | Presentation Title 27
Plumas Sierra Relationship
Existing Assets
•Team met January, 2022 with Plumas Sierra Telecom
•PST has been in a “trial” public/private partnership
with TDPUD where PST has focused on “low hanging
fruit” ISP customers that already have fiber to premises or
can pay for the fiber trenching to interconnect (i.e.
hospital, HOAs, TDPUD)
•PST is acting as the ISP for the connected customers,
using the TDPUD existing network, plus additional
interconnection at the premise edges
•Small staff although 24/7 does exist for critical
customers like the hospital or TDPUD
•Opportunistic relationship where Plumas Sierra is not
actively marketing their services or seeking to provide
Broadband for All solutions
Pricing Not Broadband for All with fiber only
50Mbps/10Mpbs starting at $60/mo. Full Gig Fiber
service at $190/mo or more (if business plan and
SLAs) PLUS trenching cost ($2000 - $200,000
depending on customer location)
iFoster | Presentation Title 28
New Elements Required
Infrastructure Gaps
•Telco grade BGP4 routing and switching gear
(Brocade/Ciena-style backend systems) that can act as
the network backbone for local ISPs and provision
subscription circuits
•Last mile connectivity to the majority of the homes and
businesses in Truckee (i.e. fiber, cable, microwave or
campus-style 5G)
•24/7 customer support and respond with staff trained in
telco/ISP operations
iFoster | Presentation Title 29
TDPUD Favorably Positioned
Achieving Community Broadband
Existing
Assets
Existing
Network
All Models
Possible
1.OWNERSHIP and EXPERIENCE: great set of core
infrastructure; current partnership with Plumas Sierra
has been a good initial experiment albeit restrictive
2.EXISTING NETWORK: existing network could
potentially become the backbone for either a fiber
connected or a 5G-Enterprise-Campus style network
to reach all residents and businesses with air vs
trenching options
3.ALL BUSINESS MODELS: all models are possible
for general community access and a variety of last
mile technology options exist
iFoster | Presentation Title 30
BROADBAND IN TRUCKEE: RECOMMENDATIONS
iFoster | Presentation Title 31
BROADBAND IN TRUCKEE MATTERS
Existing broadband options in Truckee to do not meet current need, let alone anticipated future demand.
TDPUD SHOULD TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE
Broadband should be considered a utility. TDPUD has an existing suite of assets that can serve as a foundation from
which to achieve Broadband for All. TDPUD is not limited in business models or infrastructure solutions. As we invest
in broadband, our community needs to retain control of our infrastructure investments.
PARTNER FOR SUCCESS
Partnerships are potentially feasible and should be investigated. However, incumbent ISPS fall short of meeting
current needs. By consolidating services and offering a shared infrastructure, we allow current and future service
providers to share the expensive pieces of infrastructure, rather than re-inventing multiple parallel networks and
delivering uneven services. This creates a level playing field to allow providers to compete on their levels of service,
rather than whoever happens to own the wires nearby.
FIBER IS THE FUTURE
Fiber is the backbone of every high-speed network today, already providing long-distance high-speed infrastructure
transit beyond 100Gb, and beyond 10Gb in passive (last mile) links, leaving room for expansion for many years. It is a
longer-term investment in the prosperous future of Truckee.
Broadband for All through Open Access TDPUD Model
Committee Recommendations
iFoster | Presentation Title 32
Suggested Next Steps
Committee Recommendations
1.Agree that broadband should be seen as a utility and as TDPUD is well positioned to facilitate the
development of Broadband for All Truckee
2.Encourage Truckee residents and business participation in the upcoming Nevada County Broadband
survey
3.Engage consultants in developing a strategic broadband plan for the entire Truckee community.
Consultant must have PUD, rural community, funding, and broadband business model experience
4.Understand the funding landscape including what will be available at the county, regional, state and
federal levels for planning, engineering, design, and implementation
5.Engage Town of Truckee, Nevada County and Placer County in collaborative planning
6.Build partnerships with multiple ISPs; both new and existing
7.Utilize existing resources such as the Fiber Broadband Association toolkit. Leverage the EUCI Broadband
Deployment Essentials for Electric Cooperatives and Municipal Utilities
iFoster | Presentation Title 33
Truckee
Residents
Tourists
Local
Business
Community
Anchor
Institutions
Town
Safety
Smart Grid
ISPs
In 2016, the UN declared access to the Internet a basic human right
It’s 2022, time for Truckee to embrace Community Broadband